A digest of news and opinion from the Maldives.
Dhiggaru MP Faris Maumoon arrives at the Criminal Court for his preliminary hearing. PHOTO: HUSSAIN WAHEED/MIHAARU The legal team of Dhiggaru MP Faris Maumoon on Sunday protested that the statute of limitations had already passed when the prosecution amended the bribery charge against the opposition lawmaker, and thus his indictment is now invalid. The lawmaker […]
MNDF Soldier guarding the Main Office of MMPRC at the time of Corruption The Civil Court on Sunday ordered SOF Pvt Ltd, a local firm implicated in the corruption scandal of the Maldives’ main tourism promotion body, to pay MVR 160 million to the latter. Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) had filed a […]
High Court of Maldives PHOTO:Nishan Ali/Mihaaru Following a Supreme Court order, judges from the Southern branch of the Maldives’ High Court have officially commenced work at the capital Male branch of the court on Sunday. The apex court late in August ordered the temporary transfer of three Southern branch judges after it was revealed that […]
Three young men have been charged with terrorism over the abduction of Ahmed Rilwan, more than three years after the Maldives Independent journalist was forced into a car at knifepoint outside his apartment building in Hulhumalé. The Prosecutor General’s office pressed charges against suspected gang members Aalif Rauf, Mohamed Nooradeen, and Mohamed Suaid on August 15, a […]
The following is a translation of a petition signed by 56 lawyers outlining serious concerns with the Maldivian judiciary. We, lawyers, are signing this petition because we are concerned about the situation of justice in the Maldives. We, therefore, call upon the relevant state authorities to address the concerns outlined herein. A majority of the […]
A group of international human rights groups have called on the Supreme Court to lift the suspension of more than 50 lawyers who signed a petition calling for judicial reform, criticising the lack of due process before the unprecedented move. “None of the 56 lawyers has been allowed to exercise their right to defend themselves or […]
The Prosecutor General’s office has revised charges raised against MP Faris Maumoon from accepting bribes to offering to bribe fellow lawmakers to back the impeachment of the speaker. An official from the PG office said the change was made without withdrawing the case from the criminal court, which has since handed over case documents to […]
COLOMBO: The Maldives may seek Sri Lanka’s help to deport former president Mohamed Nasheed, the country’s envoy said today, a day after the exiled leader’s lawyer raised fears for his safety. Male’s ambassador-designate to Colombo, Mohamed Hussain Shareef, in a statement said that Nasheed, the first democratically elected president, is a “fugitive” and left the […]
Transparency International is joining with the Maldivian Democracy Network, the International Commission of Jurists, Front Line Defenders and Forum-Asia to call on the Supreme Court of Maldives to rescind the indefinite suspension of all 56 lawyers who signed a petition to the Supreme Court calling for the independence and reform of the judiciary. Their suspension […]